The purpose of the present paper is to investigate a spectacular mass media phe nomenon that occurred some twenty-five years ago: The case of a highly popular Peruvian telenovela Simplemente Maria ('Simply Mary'), which to this date is considered by many as the most popular television program of all time in Peru and in most countries of Latin America. Our methods of data-collection activities in reconstructing the history of Simplemente Maria are described. We explore the reasons for Simplemente María's audience popularity and its several intended and unintended effects. One of Simplemente María's serendipitous effects was the formulation of the entertainment-education strategy in television.
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